Radio Africa and Kitchen’s Eskender Aseged

Longtime pop-up turned restaurant Radio Africa & Kitchen celebrated its one-year anniversary this month, and owner and chef Eskender Aseged has much to say about the transition from temporary restaurant to neighborhood fixture. A brief history of Radio Africa & Kitchen: Aseged moved to San Francisco in 1987, starting out in the restaurant industry as a waiter at Cafe Majestic. He cooked withJeremiah Tower, Daniel Patterson, and Joyce Goldstein, among other leading local chefs, before starting Radio Africa as a pop-up in 2004. The first Radio Africa dinners were held at his home on York Street in the Mission, and later expanded to Velo Rouge, Coffee Bar, and even a one-night stint in New York. Eater sat down with Aseged to talk about his first year in business and his community involvement in the Bayview.